No need to go over the top trying to create an argument from a simple innoccent comment!

Maybe I was a bit vague as you misinterpret what I meant. The biggest difference between the big BMW 1200s and the new Tenere 1200, is the engine layout. Those boxer twins have a massive following, and most people who have owned a BMW will rave on about the 'character' of the engine and other crap like that. They've also been the iconic BMW engine throughout the history of the brand, and they have a reputation for being ultra reliable work horses. And of course there's the supposed lower weight distribution.

Now I personally don't see the appeal of the big boxer twin, and I don't neccessarily agree with the above. But to my mind it's one of the key attractions to the big beemers. I can't see how a new and unproven watercooled 1200cc parrallell twin is going to get people drooling and be the deciding factor to make them choose the Yamaha over the BMW.


The BMW is an established market leader. What does this new Yamaha offer to tempt away customers? I think it would have made more sense for them to make the bike as lightweight as possible, and sell it as a large CC progression from the old 750, or from their current 660. What they've actually done is make it as big and heavy as possible whereby they're competing for the exact same customers as the beemer.

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350